Legendary editor Thelma Schoonmaker has collaborated with Martin Scorsese for essentially the entire length of both of their careers, starting with Scorsese's feature Who's That Knocking at My Door?. Needless to say, this 3-time Oscar winner, with nearly a half a century of filmmaking experience, has insight into the craft that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, and fortunately for us, Schoonmaker has shared 8 Golden Rules of filmmaking with MovieMaker Magazine, and we've selected a few to share with you.

Some rituals help keep us focused throughout the year. This marks the 4th time I have looked back at all the good things that occurred in the film biz and listed them out for all of us. Tracking them through year, keeps me from abandoning hope. Sometimes they may just be the silver lining in the storm cloud, but nonetheless they keep me going, keep me convinced that in fact we truly are: building it better together.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Some positive remarks from Ted Hope on this past year of film and film business.

POV’s Google+ conversation with filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer (The Act of Killing (POV 2014); The Look of Silence) on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 from 1-2 PM ET (10-11 AM PT). He’ll be taking your questions on making one of the most lauded documentaries of 2013, and discussing the lessons he’s learned and challenges he’s faced during his filmmaking career.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Had a great opportunity to ask Joshua a couple of questions about his filmmaking process.

A couple of quick observations:

1. (On filming) Follow people's reactions, not their words

2. (On being a first time filmmaker) Allow yourself as much time as you need to fully explore your subject

There's no denying it -- docs are hot. Between HBO's high-gloss productions, Netflix's rise in documentaries, the influx of Kickstarter/Indieigogo campaigns, and the democratization of filmmaking gear via iPhones and cheap cameras, docs are everywher...

You’ve got a great idea for film, and it just so happens to be a true story. Best of all, the main character is fantastic and you can’t wait to get him or her on camera! But once you start rolling, and sit back and wait for the magic to happen — pfft. Your interview is a dud. What went wrong? Getting a person’s story on camera is an elusive process, and since I just spent over five years working on a short and a feature in which I conducted over 40 interviews, I thought I’d share a list of things that I picked up along the way that might help you.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

A very well thought out list that you will help you prepare for your interviews.

Ease the anxiety of pitching with wise words from industry professionals at DOC NYC.

Justin Nalepa's insight:

I think the most important tip has to be the "Why you?" question you have to ask yourself. Access is key, but having that personal connection or compelling reason that makes you want to create this film is the passion that drives the project. Without it, the rest doesn't really matter.

“We have to make artful films,” declared Tabitha Jackson at this morning's DOC NYC keynote. Her thoughtful and engaging address -- accompanied, half-jokingly,

Justin Nalepa's insight:

Jackson illustrated her point with a list of values expressed as binaries in which documentary is “painting, not illustration”; “metaphor, not simile”; “the question, not the answer,” and “empathy, not sympathy.”

What shapes and forms do non-fiction film and video take? What techniques and visual languages are making docs look and feel the way they do today? And, most importantly, what’s stirring the hearts and minds of audiences?

Michael Moore thinks documentaries need to stop lecturing so much and be more entertaining. Is he right? We reached out to a selection of documentary directors

Justin Nalepa's insight:

A very poignant statement about documentary filmmaking today from Joe Berlinger:

"In today's world where serious journalism is under attack, we need serious, social issue filmmaking more than ever. Print journalism has been gutted and the corporate control of most networks has meant certain subjects are off limits out of fear of offending advertisers. So, most of the important social issue reporting is being done by independent documentarians who often take great risks to bring their stories to the screen."

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